Prevention Books

This book was recommended to me by a neurologist. After adding magnesiusm to my diet, I have dramatically decreased the frequency of my headaches.

This book makes sense out of an illness that seems to have no rhyme or reason. I suspect I am the typical migraine sufferer who has "tried everything." Despite my treatment by dozens of very well-trained physicians, I have never been able to prevent my migraines from coming (always once a month with my period) or to manage them when they do (too often I end up in the ER with a $2,000 bill since my migraines are a "pre-existing" condition not covered by Blue Cross).

This book clearly outlines the way migraine triggers accumulate, the rebound effects of most every drug I've ever used, and the importance of getting everything that could be causing or perpetuating migraines out of your system before trying preventive medications. After reading "Heal Your Headache," I realize how non-systematic my treatment approaches have been. I was elimiating some foods I knew about (e.g. red wine) but not others (e.g. peanut butter), and taking preventive medicines while also using rebound-causing triptans -- no wonder nothing was working!

I am only 4 weeks into my approach of eliminating all triggers and rebound-causing drugs, but already I notice a difference in the frequency and severity of my headaches. I am hopeful that I may finally be on the right track. I wish I had the information in this book when I had my first migraine as a freshman in college. My husband is a physician, and he agrees that we have learned more from this easy-to-read book than we have learned from our own research and numerous physician visits over many years.

If you think you are the only one who feels crazy telling your friends about your "headaches" (which is what they hear) and food associated with them, you're not! This book not only confims that, but helps you understand why you get them (even if you are like me and thought you already knew everything there was to know)and who in your family you probably inherited this little gift from! After years of listening to my dad say he doesn't get migraines, just "terrible sinus headaches that never go away with decongestants", I finally sent him this book. He is finally almost migraine free...he in turn gave it to a neighbor! Best money I have ever spent!

Just a little about ME and MY migraines. By providing this, I hope to be able to share my experience with other ladies suffering the same pain. I had hoped that others would mention the types of migraines they suffered, but I didn't see many such reviews.

I am a woman in my mid 30s and suffer two types of migraine. The first happened when I was about 20 years old - at the Right Temple. The next happened about 6 years later - behind my Left Eye.

Like most of you, I have tried numerous drugs too. I also tried chiropractic adjustments, but they were not the answer.

Before the diet, I only took Zomig to abort the migraines. Since being on the diet, I have better managed my Zomig intake (only taking it once during the two months because I didn't want to give up another weekend). I still had my usual 2 to 3 migraines a month, but many of them I just tried to sleep off (which is never easy) and lose 1 or 2 days.

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I followed the diet to the letter for two-and-a-half months. I learned that it was NOT the food that I ate that caused MY migraines, but it seems to be my hormones. I noticed I am extremely sensitive to smells about 3 or 4 days before the start of my period and I usually get a Right Temple migraine about 7 to 10 days before my period.

I haven't quite figured out what brings on the Left Eye migraines. My thoughts always return to the weather. I try not to go to bed with wet hair, as I think this contributes to it too. I do notice a pattern of them as my period ends. I also notice I get another Right Temple migraine as my period is ending.

I journaled my diet for the entire time. I kept track of any sensations I felt in my head as well as stressors and my menses.

I truly believe that any foods that may cause problems (FOR ME) are only triggers COMBINED with other triggers such as odors (perfume, cigrette smoke, Clorox wipes, etc.), stress, and hormones.

I learned to read food labels quite well and, what I will take from this is that I will avoid MSG and MSG causing agents whenever possible. I will watch my nitrite/nitrate intake (not that I was ever a big consumer of it) as well as some of the other fruits/vegetables on the list. Again, I have never been a big consumer of anything - everything in moderation. However, maybe bananas are not the greatest for me. (My husband is Type 1 Diabetic so we do not usually have them around). I will also try not to buy processed foods as much as possible.

I will stay off caffeine until I have my first child, but I really do not think it has an effect on ME. I was only a 1 or 2 caffeinated beverage consumer a day anyway. I think I might go to decaffeinated rather than caffeinated because I just do not think I need it.

After I have a child, I think I will go back on a preventative because I remember having very good success with amytriptyline when I first started having them. For obvious reasons, I do not want to start on drugs only to have to come off them when I get pregnant.

For now, I am beginning to come off the diet. I will resume my Zomig when I know I cannot be pregnant, but I think I will pay more attention to the sensations in my head and not leap to take one for fear of a migraine. I think I did this too many times when I could have dealt with the pain.

What I really liked about the book was that the author made me aware of food labels and that he listed the medications. I really learned a lot about my own body too.

What I didn't like was eating the same foods (my choice). I made the best of what I could eat and I would do it again because it was worth it to find out, once and for all, if food was my problem.

I don't know about the rest of you, but I absolutely hate it when you mention you have migraines and you are told you should avoid citrus, chocolate, red wine, and aged cheese. We all know this! We learned it day 1 of Migraine 101. Oh well. :-)

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PS. Is anyone else as frustrated with migraines as I am in that you constantly second guess yourself - Am I having a migraine? Am I not? Should I take my medicine? Should I wait? I think the not knowing is just as bad as the disease itself.

When I first read this book, I was overwhelmed by the proposed plan to eliminate so many things from my life. The dietary restrictions alone were obscene! But I have struggled with headaches for years and they had become such a big problem that I was afraid to take on new responsibilities. This was certainly a red flag that I needed help. I tried to eliminate caffeine first which was a big problem for me. After a big headache came on after the first day, I chickened out and went back to my regular tea-consuming routine. I thought the book was masochistic and I was ready to abandon the 1-2-3 step plan. But then I thought about something else the book said which was that women who are on hormonal contraception should eliminate that to see if it has an effect. So I did, and now I am virtually headache free. I feel so foolish because for many years I just assumed that I needed birth control to "tame" my headaches by giving me a consistent flow of hormones, rather than letting my body go wild and fluctuate each month. So to make a long story short, this book was VERY helpful to me, but I didn't end up needing to do the full program because with one step, I was able to get my headaches under control, at least for now (I don't want to jinx myself!)

This book also had many helpful anecdotes, many of which I could relate to. Every individual's body is different and the author's description of the threshold for migraine is a useful framework for understanding how headaches work and how other external factors contribute. I think there is something for everyone in this book and it is certainly priced affordably enough to give it a shot. Any migraine sufferer knows that at times you will try ANYTHING to get better. This plan, while daunting at first, could change your life.

This is a very comprehensive book on personal protection. It is far broader than a street self defense manual. It covers all kinds of self defense and safety issues.

It is very broad in its scope. Here are a few of the areas it addresses: street self defense, fire safety, mobs, traveling in strange cities, online shopping, and much more. As you can see, it is far reaching.

Prior to reading this, I never would have guessed that an author could cover such a broad range so well in such a relatively small book.

I would recommend this book for anyone who would like to improve his/her overall personal and family safety. There are numerous tips for parents of small children that are excellent.

You really can't go wrong with this book. It will stimulate lots of thought for most readers.

I highly recommend this book on all levels. As a martial artist who has done many martial arts, I have to say, this information really rings true. For example, he states, the goal of self-defense should be to "stun and run" - which almost anyone who knows the field will tell you. For example, where I train, we "stay and commit", but most of us are pretty highly trained. I have also done some of the "military martial arts" that Tom describes, and to be honest, in a "bad" situtation that I can't talk my way out of, i count on it to save my life, and I have been trained to "fight through the adrenaline dump" by the Israelis I trained with. But I also realize, most people don't have time to do that kind of training. So Tom's program is really useable for people who don't want to become experts in the martial arts. His book is full of lots of information that can literally save your life (for instance, have a map before you visit a new city, etc.). The book is full of anecdotes of personal protection. I particularly liked his advice on using your eyes to scan a room, and how to confront a "bad guy" who is sizing you up (you basically stare through him to let him know you are not afraid). A lot of his advice comes down to projecting confidence and not being a "victim", becuase universally, bad guys go after people whose body language, eyes, and positure suggest that they are not willing to defend themselves. So this is an excellent book on personal protection that I would highly recommend to anyone, from the beginning to the true pro.

I read lots of books like this, and I found absolutely nothing new in here. In fact, it looked a bit familiar. With the checklists, the boxed tips, the statistics and the vignettes, it looked an awful lot to me like Be Alert, Be Aware, Have A Plan: The Complete Guide to Protecting Yourself, Your Home, Your Family, by Neal Rawls. Really, it looks like Patire got his whole idea on how to present his material from the Be Alert book (which, by the way, was a much much better book). I say don't bother.

We hired Tom Patire to speak at our annual PTA event here in Chicago. I was on the committee that sought him out after I read his book and saw him on Fox. The book is an updated look into safety and has some similarities of other books in this catergory but it is written in much different, more people friendly format.

Tom takes the approach of easing the reader into different safety issues by relating them to factual events in his life. Because of that the book reads life a story of safety and not like a book of boring statistics. I loved the Tom's Tips but really was intrigued to his child safety training since I am a single mother of two young girls.

What really hit home was how Tom talks about 'seeing from their eyes' and their being the children of the world. The book can be used in different ways. For example it can be used as a guide to safety issues like when you travel or safety at home. It can also be used as a call to urgency because safety is usually not a subject that we like to think about or address.

It gets even better should you attend Tom's talk. Tom is a big, in-shape, charismatic guy that has a empowering way of getting you involved in his lecture which he calls 'Safer Life!' From his opening statement to his closing remarks Tom's becomes the big brother that we all wish we had and presents safety with out installing fear.

I gave his book 5 stars as I did Gavin DeBecker's book. But Patire's talk is the missing piece to the safety puzzle. It's one I would recommend for all people, especially single mom's to attend.

Have A Blessed Day!

Kim K.

A family from my town in Wisconsin recently appeared on the Montel Show. Watching the show one had to feel for the terrible ordeal that the family went through during their violent home invasion. At the end of the show Montel brought out a security expert named Tom Patire. Mr. Patire's comments were for everyday people and his tone and way of speaking showed his compasion for human life and left me feeling empowered. This led me to buy his book. The book is beter than good - it is excellent. It's for all ages from teens to seniors and is filled with unlimted, priceless information on how to keep you and the people you love, safe. Montel open my eyes to what can happen and Tom Patire gave me the information on how not to let it happen or what to do if.

Montel - Great Show!
Tom Patire - Great Book!!

There are some hard parts to get through describing the fire, but you'll appreciate the Chicago history, the history around the event, what it did to the surrounding neighborhood and how it changed fire codes in the U.S. and likely the world. Your children are safer today because of what happened to these kids.

The book also made me replace all of my smoke detectors!

This book was given to me to read when I took my first fire fighter class. My instructor loaned me her copy and I ended up buying my own copy. The tragic events detailed in this book led me into teaching fire prevention and making sure that a tragedy such as this never happens again.

I have recommended this book to several people both in and outside of the fire service. Everyone that I know who have read it have been touched by this story. I have also given this book as a gift to several students taking their first steps into the fire service so that they never forget the impact a tragic fire can have.

I love to read and I feel that this is one of the best books I have ever read. I am also a firefighter and decided to read this book because it had to do with a historic fire, little did I know that I would love this book for much more than historic and educational reasons. This book was very well written and showed all aspects of this event from the firefighters to the victims themselves. I would recomden this book to anyone who wants a good read, as well as to anyone who is interested in fire history.

This was a fascinating book. I bought it to read on a trip, because of the excellent ratings. We were stuck in a plane on a runway in Dallas for 6 hours. The wait seemed much shorter, because I was thoroughly involved in reading this book.

I highly recommend it.

This is one Chicago tragedy that resonates with me strongly. My former attorney, recently deceased, was a survivor of the deadly fire at Our Lady of Angels Catholic School.

Despite our shared interest in history, he never spoke of the fire during the twenty years in which I knew him. Last year, I found a web site maintained by survivors of the fire and questioned him about the inclusion of his name and that of his sister on the list. His sole response was that the entries were correct. Both had attended school on December 1, 1958, the date of the fire. Our brief conversation proceeded no further. My friend was visibly uncomfortable and I did not make press him with additional inquiries.

Having read this well written account of the fire and the arson investigation, I can understand why my friend preferred to change the subject. This book is compelling, but it is not for the faint of heart. The descriptions contained in "To Sleep With Angels" will haunt and disturb you. You may not be able to read the book without pausing to weep.
I could not read the book in a single sitting.

It is difficult to forget any of the tragic events described in "To Sleep With the Angels." In no particular order, the random images include a father, who rushed to the school with a ladder to rescue trapped children, watching his own son perish in a cloud of toxic smoke as the ladder was too short to reach a high window; a sick ten year old girl had a premonitory dream, but within a few hours the same child felt much better and asked her mother to let her attend school after recess; from an upper floor window, frightened children recognized an adult neighbor, the owner of the local candy store, and began shouting at the woman and begging her to help save them. The terrible list goes on and on as the authors relate the individual memories and recollections of many of the survivors, the families of the victims, the witnesses and the investigators.

More than ninety persons perished that on that cold December afternoon. In addition to ninety-two students, three nuns were also killed in the burning building. A majority of the victims succumbed on account of smoke inhalation. In the aftermath of the fire, a national campaign was launched to improved fire safety at schools throughout the USA.

Almost as painful as the fire itself was the ultimate fate of many of the survivors. Following the tragedy, many local residents began to move away from their formerly beloved parish. Some people would describe the exodus of the families from the blue collar West Side neighborhood as white flight, but others believed that it was simply too painful for many parents and children to continue living in close proximity to the school where their loved ones had died. They needed to find new surroundings in which to live rather than be reminded of the tragedy on a daily basis. There were far too many unanswerable questions: How many additional lives might have been saved if a set of doors had been closed? How many children would have been spared if the fire had occurred fifteen minutes later after the three o'clock dismissal bell? Why wasn't the fire alarm bell sounded at the school more quickly? Firefighters felt that they could have saved many more lives if they had been given the correct building address and had arrived on the scene four minutes sooner.

No one was ever prosecuted for the crime of arson in connection with the suspicious fire. A juvenile offender set the fire, but he could not be tried under Illinois law since the crime occurred before his thirteenth birthday. This same minor was subsequently tried and convicted for a series of arsons committed in suburban Cicero, where his family moved after the fire at Our Lady of the Angels. The authors posit that church and civil authorities sought to shield the identity of the boy on account of his minority. This explanation is wholly credible.

After my friend's funeral, his two sisters related that their brother regularly attended memorial masses held to honor those who died in the fire at Our Lady of the Angels. The elder sister, who had also attended the school on the day of the fire, exited the building safely. Her brother was also escaped without serious injury. Their father heard a radio broadcast concerning the fire while driving his car and he was permitted to enter the police cordon to look for his children. He was unaware that they had arrived home safely during the confusion. There was a great deal of crying when the children and parents were reunited at their home that afternoon. These personal stories are not repeated in the book.
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In a bizarre and equally disturbing development, one of the authors of this book was convicted of arson after setting a fire to a storage building opposite St. Benedict's Catholic Church on the North side of Chicago in June of 2005. Thankfully, only property damage resulted from the fire. David Cowan was said to be despondent after losing his janitorial job. The defendant, who was also a former suburban firefighter, was sentenced to serve a three year prison term in December of that same year. He has been paroled. Ironically, he was also the author a book entitled, "Great Chicago Fires" and had reported on fires for various newspapers.

The author obviously knows what he is talking about and presents a fascinating glimpse into some of the systems, scenarios, and processes for US domestic intelligence. Interesting plot and characters, but the real power comes from the "inside" technical knowledge. On par with Clancy's debut (Hunt for Red October), I hope the author keeps at it - his technical abilities are great; more story, character, and plot development and he could be as good as Clancy!

Government eavesdropping systems like Echelon, Carnivore, and Magic Lantern as well as the potential implications of the USA Patriot Act have been in the news of late and everyone has an opinion. People either agree strongly that after 9/11 such programs are important tools in assuring that such a tragedy can never happen again or they strongly disagree worrying that such programs are merely a way to harass innocent people and take away their privacy.

Whatever your opinion, Echelon, Somebody's Listening will likely interest you. This political thriller takes a deeper look at the perimeters and potential uses of these programs through the life of fictional CIA agent Michael Stone. Stone is in charge of several investigations in which eavesdropping brings greater clarity to the facts at hand. To add even greater drama and meaning to this story, the author has these fictional events take place in the weeks following 9/11.

Unfortunately, the suspense and rapid movement of events in the book kept me up, reading late at night to find out how the drama would unfold I also found the book very informative in the area of modern communication monitoring. It's a good read.

Fiction or not, a fasinating look at government agencies in today's world. An interesting read.

Wow, I couldn't put this one down!

Mr. O'Neill does an outstanding job presenting an insiders view on how technology is being used to bring the work of the intelligence community a little closer together. It's also amazing to see some of the inner workings on electronic eavesdropping that are being applied by the intel community.

I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading a good thriller, especially ones that are relevant to what's happening in today's world. I am looking forward to reading more adventures of Michael Stone.

"Ship Ablaze" helps fill in gaps of history that for one reason or other our parents, grand-parents, uncles and aunts. I grew up in that neighborhood and attended the LCMS (Trinity) Lutheran Church on 9th St. and Ave. B., yet I had to wait until late in life to learn of this disaster and the long term impact it had on the area. While the congregation I belonged to was not in worship fellowship with St. Mark's, I am certain that one would find a history of humanitarian fellowship at the time. But, these would be in the old records of that congregation written in German script. We need not only researchers, but multilingual researchers, in this incident as although there were those born in America, they lived a German life. My generation was the first not to speak German from birth. When I went to Germany to live for a while, I find myself very much at home despite the fact that this was post WWII Germany. If there are researchers interested out there who are fluent in German, a place they might want to look at is the resources of the NY Public Library and Concordia Historical Institute, St. Louis (records of the original Trinity on microfilm).

An excellent book about the General Slocum disaster, a 1904 steamboat fire that killed more than 1,000 people, mostly women and children on a church outing. Absolutely mesmerizing from start to finish.

I think this is the year as a reader, as a watcher of television and news, that I've finally reached my endpoint as concerns human disasters. I've always been interested to an extent of this type of story...if we weren't newspapers would not fare well. But I started picking up more of these books after the making of the movie, Titanic, and it's about 7 years later, and I am pretty sure I've had it. Nothing about the writer's abilities, just between the constant onslaught of real life disasters with the hurricane season now ending, the tsunami of last year, constant reportage on this ridiculous war in Iraq, and normal everyday life, I cannot take on any more sorrow and of course, the stupidity and greed that goes with these stories. I didn't even finish this one. If you like this genre, and this type of reading doesn't depress you deeply, as it did me, then this book is for you.

This is not the 'ostrich' burying it's head. It's rather I decided to stop rubbernecking in this manner. I don't do it when there are fires or car accidents, so I don't know why this should be anything different. If I am interested in it from an engineering or scientific view of things, as occurred with the 1927 dynamiting of the New Orleans levees, then I'll go for the history. I know this stuff happened, and where it is absolutely necessary to know more for family research or whatever, fine, I can look it up online. This is not the type of reading that I consider as being of benefit for me, nor is it entertaining to read about the needless deaths of so many. There are other things I'd rather do and read than books of this genre, though it is obvious that as with true crime, this is a popular genre which will not be going away soon.

Karen Sadler

This disaster has been hidden from historical references better than anything I've ever come across. Over 1,000 people die horribly, mostly women and children, and the following has occurred:

The 2004 Microsoft Encarta DVD Encyclopedia makes absolutely no reference to this event.

The book "New York Times Page One" does not show this as one of it's important front page dates.

The book "Chronicles of the 20th Century" (1300+ pages) only makes mention of the ship's owners being found negligent, not the event itself.

The largest loss of life from a single disaster from 1904 until 2001 and they can't mention it! Thankfully, this book does it justice and brings the hidden truth to light.

Edward T. O'Donnell tells a horrific tale in Ship Ablaze. In a matter of minutes a steamboat full of a German-American church group went from enjoying a ride down the East River on a beautiful day towards picnic grounds to fighting for their lives as an inferno consumed the lives of over a thousand people, mainly children and women, through fire or drowning. The very life preservers themselves became instruments for the deaths of many as it dragged them straight to the bottom of the river. The author does a magnificent job of setting the scene for the tragedy but his best work comes in the description of the disaster itself. It is heartbreaking and breathtaking and impossible to pull away from. This book is a wonderful memorial to a time and event that should not ever be forgotten.

This book saved my life, that's how bad my hot flashes, insomnia, mood swing & fatige were... made worse by a woman internist who wanted to put me on high blood pressure medicine (my BP is normal) or a male gyn/ob who told me my symptoms were 'normal' and they'd be 'gone in 10 years' & then offered anti-depressants. Instead, I demanded bioidentical hormones, showed him the author's (board certified gyn) chapters on how to tell your MD what blood tests you need, then with the help of my compounding pharmacy, he was able to write a prescription for tri-est gel (which is covered by insurance) & progesterone caps and within 24 hours, my mood swings vanished, the hot flashes stopped, I was able to sleep, the mental fogginess went away & I was my happy self again. OTC DHEA (every AM) also helped. I've recommended this book to many women. Menopause is a hormone deficiency & there's no reason it shouldn't be treated as one... the problem is, US MDs don't study this in AMA run medical schools. Bioidientical hormones have been studied in Europe & Canada for decades & are being studied in Japan. Since Big Pharma controls/funds research in the US, and bioidenticals can't be patented, there's no research in US medical schools because there's no money to be made from it. As someone who was unable to tolerate Fosamax, my bone density scans showed a 3.3% increase in bone density after 3 months on bioidenticals, DHEA, liquid calcium & 1000 IU of vitamin D. The bone density specialist did a dance & asked me for the name of this book.

This book was recommended by my longevity physician, and I can understand why. It is a great guide to anyone using or considering natural hormone replacement therapy (which is a gift from God and Nature by the way...) This publication is not just about menopause, it is about female (and male) hormones across the lifespan. It helps you to self regulate by learning your own symptoms. And at these prices, everyone should have a copy in the family medical library!

I am now a happy, WELL-RESTED 40 yr old due to this book (and another book: What your Dr may not tell you about PreMenopause) Both of these have saved my LIFE, most importantly my SLEEP!

For the past few years (after having a 3rd child) from age 37 onward, I could no longer fall deeply asleep, nor get REM/Delta SLEEP and NOTHING would work! (except Ambien)

Well now I've learned about natural Progesterone cream, and other helpful necessary hormones the body may need (and mine did): DHEA and Melatonin, I now use all three of those nearly every night at bedtime: One tiny dab of a natural progesterone cream, (2 sprays equal to 10 mg) of a DHEA spray called Biosom, and a half of a pill (1 mg or less) of Melatonin Plus by Schiff (Found at Sam's, it also contains Vit B6 and L-Theanine,also very important additions to helping Melatonin work).

NOW, I sleep like a baby, every night!
No more Ambien!:)

THIS regimen works for ME, PLEASE do NOT follow my steps WITHOUT checking with your doctor/Naturopath, FIRST!!!

Buy this book (and the other one I mentioned).

OB/GYN's disappointed me by recommending HRT or even hysterectomy, ALL because I simply had hormone-imbalance-related Insomnia and Adrenal fatigue.

I found this book to be extremely informational in helping me understand the way my body reacts to hormones. Highly reccomended read for every woman.

Recent articles in the Los Angeles Times have pointed out that pollutants discharged and mixed in the Pacific Ocean are so great, even in this diluted state, some male fish are developing eggs. This book and the companion titled "What your Doctor Might Not Tell you About Pre-menopause by Lee guides you on how endocrine pollution is effecting us and what to do about it. My doctor told me ten years ago that all his women patients that turned forty must read this book to be prepared when our bodies start to go through the change into menopause. I am now 51 and I'm back to buy another updated copy as menopause has hit me hard. My current M.D. put me on emergency medication of anti-depressants and I know this book will provide me with the tools to get off of them and get my heath back! This is the book that will teach you how to protect yourself so you don't get breast cancer (now one in 8 women), cysts, fibroids, etc. Anti-depressants do not protect you from this kind of pollution, they only treat the symptoms. Doctors were bombarded from drug companies that wanted to sell their patented fake hormones. Thousands of women died from these drugs and so now many doctors are afraid of any kind of hormone therapy. Natural hormones protect the body, which we need now to counteract estrogen based pollution. You can not afford to do nothing. Four of my family members got estrogen based cancers and none of us had the genes to predispose them for these cancers. Because these natural hormones can't be patented there is no big money to do the double blind studies nor is there anyone beating down doctor's doors to educate them. The doctors that have taken up the cause for natural hormone therapy do not have the high cancer rates in their patients as is found in the general population. Over ten years of experience is proof enough for these M.D.s to go against the norms as pushed by pharmaceutical companies.

My father, a well-intentioned school teacher who never met any situation that couldn't be turned into an object lesson, gave me this book to read when I was 14. There was no preamble, just, "Here." To this day I remember several passages in horrific detail, so I can safely say that the writing was clear, effective, and moving.

I somehow doubt my Dad thought I was going to become a child abuser someday, but this book certainly fixed in my mind the horror that a child can endure at the hands of adults and I believe in my heart that I would never do anything like this to a child. I don't know if it could have that effect on everyone, but perhaps it should be assigned reading--it certainly couldn't hurt to try.

I'm in the Navy. I'm 32 years old with a 3-year-old girl. I think I read this book about a year ago and it touches me every day. I think about it all the time. I picture Ursula, I pray for her, I pray to God she's with him. I look at my little girl with her long, blond locks and think that in around two years she will be Ursula's age. It breaks my heart to know she is learning the alphabet as Ursula did. It causes me to cringe deep down to imagine such an innocent, lovely creature such as a small child would endure torture at the hands of those she was supposed to be loved by and who should have cared for her. The truth is that I finished it in spurts, crying and yelling at the bathroom ceiling when my husband was at work and my daughter at preschool, the only time I could find to devote to little Ursula's story. I see her picture in my mind's eye. I have a BS in Business Admin, and not in Social Work, but I hope to retire from the military someday and find my place in the world helping children instead of residing in the business world, as I had previously planned. I owe it to Ursula, and I owe it to my little girl so I can help her see that people should care for each other and try to make a difference.

How can you read this book and NOT feel compelled to help a child who is suffering...? Children can't protect themselves. Even as strict as our laws are, we need them to address, above all, crimes against children as the most heinous of our society. Protection of all children should be our #1 priority. It's the only way to make our future bright.

I read this book and it took me about a week!! Why??? Because everytime I started to read it the tears just started flowing! It is unthinkable what this poor child went through. I cannot even imagine what the mother was thinking or should I say "monster" because she is by NO means a mother! I can just feel for this little girl, she was so wanting to please her monster to no avail. Right up to the end thats all she wanted to do. HOW can people do THIS??? There is barely a day when I don't think about Ursula and wish SOMEONE had done SOMETHING to stop this! To me it's ridiculous how people can just ignore it or not see it. This world just gets worse day by day. For you URSULA I say the world is cruel. I love you!

I grew up and still live in Central Florida and when this book came out, it was required reading in high school. I will never forget how the book made me feel. It's a very hard book to read and has many emotions all wrapped up into such a small package. I highly recommend this book. It's basically the authors recreating the last days of this little girls life.

This book is the true story of a woman who allowed a live in boyfriend to abuse her child - to death. It shows also how many people the child tried to reach out to (next door neighbors) and how many people witnessed her suffering (doctors, teachers) and did not do anything. It is a horrifying account of a man's desire to control a child's behavior through evil and dehumanizing tactics. Children need to be understood. It is wrong to expect behaviors from children beyond their years, comprehension, abilities. This little girl was a normal child with normal behaviors, and unfortunately her mom chose someone to be with that was unable and unwilling to cope with having a little girl around. It is tragic. Please read it.

This book should be be considered "must read" materials for parents with children attending school. The first 3 parts of the book addresses the terror attack itself and what the terrorists hoped to achieve. The last part talks about teaching your child to survive. In these days and times, children are "locked down" in a school when something happens. If I were a terrorists or just a VT or Columbine nutcase I would thank you for teaching your child to sit and wait for me. Please read this book and help keep your children alive. Even if you only read part 4 of the book, it will be worth it.

Wow! A real eye opener. What has become of the human race?! This book is very powerful. Written to "capture" you from the first page. We live in a world with so very many differences. Wars have been fought from the beginning of time. Children have lost their lives due to "collateral damage". And now, our school are being targeted. Not to destroy, but to use our children as weapons. This book brings out our need to become aware of the dangers that now exist within our own country. "We're not in Kansas anymore".

A fantastic book that connects the dots of terrorist acts in Russia to those in the U.S., the Middle East, Africa and Israel. Should be required reading for school administrators, military and law enforcement officers.

The attrocities committed by the terrorists are difficult to read about, but necessary in order to understand. I applaud the author for recognizing the contributions that can be made by the general population. It has been a long time since the public at large have been engaged in the defense of this country, and that needs to change as soon as possible.

I waited a long time to get this book, because it was sold out everywhere I looked, and now I understand why.

This story is a tragedy through and through. What happened in Russia cannot be allowed to happen here. It's time to stop being politically correct pandering to fanatics. These people do not understand good will, they only respect ferocity that is greater than their own.
Mr. Giduck puts you on the ground, at the school. You will hear the children , you will feel the anguish, and you will become angry. You will not be able to put this book down.
SSG John Tidona
NYG G3 NCOIC

I found this was an excellent book. While the military is at war, America is at the mall, and this book aims to try and get our country of ostriches to pull their heads out of the sand and DO something about the possibility of a terrorist threat in American schools.

This book was well-written, packed full of information and suggestions. It covers the history leading up to the school siege at Beslan; the siege itself; a breakdown of what happened and what was planned and what went wrong; and finally, what America can learn from the tragedy. It was inspiring in its advocacy of regular citizens, not just cops and military, being some of the keys to helping protect against this frighting threat.

HOWEVER, one warning. On the strength of this book, I purchased two others from the Archangel Group's publishing services. I do NOT recommend 'The Green Beret In You', much as I recommend Terror at Beslan to anyone who will listen. TGBIY was horrible. The entire book, instead of inspiring like TaB, had a snotty, self-aggrandizing tone, belittling basically anyone not in the Special Forces, and advocating the SF way as the only way. That's well and good, I suppose. But what I found totally dismaying was TGBIY's attitude towards women, which exemplified the worst of the stereotypes about how military men think about women. Contrary to the authors, not all women are weak, frail, incompetent, or unable to get along without their man home. SF wives are not the only military wives who can be strong, faithful, and supportive. And some women are strong enough, capable enough, and motivated enough to help protect this country alongside the men. But that's not something TGBIY cares to acknowledge. To be fair, it is somewhat equal opportunity - the average American male is viewed as spineless, weak, slimy and stupid as well.

All in all, it is hard to believe the same man wrote 'Terror at Beslan' and 'The Green Berety in You'. Stick with Terror at Beslan and its inspiring words. Give it to your local school superintendent or legislator for a gift. But don't let Archangel's site snooker you into spending money in TGBIY unless you view it strictly as a charitable donation.

This book is a book that anyone who is considering a career in any type of child services needs to read. I myself am going into social services and this book made me realize what I will be seeing on a daily basis. Mary Ellen was such a brave little girl and I applaud her for surviving her early life!

The book Out Of The Darkness is an awesome book. It shows the hard time that a little girl named Mary Ellen had to go threw. She has such a hard life, but in the end everything work out. I recommend this book for everybody. This is an outstanding book, everybody should read it.

I'm Eric Shelman, co-author of Out of the Darkness. I just wanted to ask that if you buy this book, come on back and write a review of it when you're done. I've never had anything but positive feedback about it, but others can use YOUR personal experience with it to better judge it prior to purchasing. I thank all of you who have read and commented on our book.

The authors of this book have created a wonderful window of understanding how child abuse/neglect has evolved over the years. This book should be required reading for anyone interested in the human service field. Through the heart-felt story of Mary Ellen, we can see why there is such a strong need to protect children and continue to evolve for many more years. Thank you to Shelman & Lazoritz for telling such an important story.

Review of Out of the Darkness: The Story of Mary Ellen Wilson by Eric A. Shelman and Stephen Lazoritz, M.D. Dolphin Moon Publishing, 2003

I chose to review this book because it explains the job of a social worker in the early days of the profession. The book appealed to me as an author and advocate. Set in New York City immediately after the Civil War, this book offers a powerful story in a historical context. Using an original style that combines journalism with fiction, the writers completed a work of art that is based on a true story. The protagonist, Mary Ellen Wilson, was a real orphaned child who experienced devastating cruelty at the hands of the first woman to be tried and convicted of child abuse, Mary Connolly. The story climaxes when Etta Wheeler, a social worker; Henry Bergh, the founder of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals; and Elbridge Gerry, ASPCA attorney, come together to rescue Mary Ellen. It's nearly inconceivable that animals were awarded victims' rights before children.

Thomas Wilson was an immigrant from Ireland who fled the potato famine to shuck oysters at a New York City hotel. In 1861 he married Frances Connor, an English immigrant who he'd met while she was a laundress at the hotel. While he was on the front lines during the Civil War, she gave birth to their daughter, named Mary Ellen. The year the child was born was the same year that Tom Wilson died in battle, 1864.

Frances found it difficult to work and care for her child, so she sought the services of a woman named Martha Score. Childcare for the working poor in the tenements of New York City provided meager nutrition and crowded conditions with no sanitation. However, Miss Score took good care of the baby while Frances worked long hours at the hotel. Travel through the tenements was treacherous at night, so Frances could not visit her child as often as she wished. After her husband died during battle, Fanny turned to alcohol for solace, leading to the loss of her job. Eventually, Fanny died in an "inebriate's asylum." When the war ended, working women returned to housekeeping as their husbands went to work. This left Miss Score with no income, thereby having to abandon the then two-year old Mary Ellen to Blackwell Island almshouse. Mary Ellen was illegally adopted to the evil Mrs. Connolly, where she suffered for seven years.

Etta Wheeler worked for St. Luke's Mission; she cared for the "outdoor poor" and frail elderly in the slums of the city. When neighbors spoke about the cries of a child called Mary Ellen, Miss Wheeler used all available resources to rescue Mary Ellen. However, she was often told by pastors, police, and lawyers to not interfere in the family's business. Undaunted by the advice, Etta persisted in her rescue efforts, eventually aided by Henry Bergh of the ASPCA. In 1874, with police assist, Mary Ellen was carried out of the abusive home, covered with a horse blanket provided by the ASPCA. The court proceedings set a precedent: "There had never been a recognized way to remove a child from an unfit home." The jury trial resulted in felony assault charges against Mrs. Connolly.

Etta Wheeler's sister, who lived on a farm in upstate New York, legally adopted Mary Ellen. Etta continued her social work in the tenements of New York City, where she was needed most. Mary Ellen eventually married, and her daughters spoke of their mother's burns and cuts that never fully healed. However, Mary Ellen lived until the age of ninety-two, surviving her husband by thirty-one years. Meanwhile, Mr. Bergh founded the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. Mr. Gerry was responsible for forming the initial laws pertaining to the rights of children.

This story will cause the reader to wince at the cruelty and rejoice at the rescue. Perhaps the most poignant message in the book comes with the ending: "Perhaps we should see Mary Ellen not as the victim of abuse, but as the survivor, and as a persistent reminder that the efforts of a few people on behalf of one child can make a real difference." As a social worker, that is my hope.

This book brings to light the daily hazards that exist in everyone of our lives, even if we are completly unaware of them. I am not am alarmist and I don't think this author is nor is this book writen in that way. However it does show in a very real manner the day to day dangers that we as normal people face in evry day life in america. With the number of criminals inceasing and an ever inceasing crime rate, not to mention the over crowded prision system turning convicted criminals loose early from prision we are subjected to more and more dangerous people out on the streets of cities and nieghborhoods then ever before. With this being the hard facts, I think that we all need to look at ways we can keep ourselves and our families safe from these threats as we are out and about in the world and inside our own homes and not rely on the ploice as we did in the old days. This books address' just such subjects, from what to do, to how to do it and what role your children should take in these saftey measures. We make plans with our families on what to do if the house were to catch on fire, so why not make a plan on what to do if someone breaks-in ( a home intrusion ) the most vaiolent crime there is. (violating your families private place even when you are there and endangering their lives)These are just some of the topics discussed in this must read book! As I said before if you are raising a faimily do them and yourself the justice of reading this book yours or their life may someday be saved by what you read. In todays world there is a true saying and this is why this book on how to protect you and your family is so important and not relying on the police to do that for you anymore and that saying goes like this: WHEN SECONDS COUNT THE POLICE ARE ONLY MINUTES AWAY! So we must have plans on how to take care of oursevles. I hope you buy and read this and find it to be as much of a help as I have.

I've been a security and risk consultant for over 20 years and continue to study martial arts and self-defence. I have developed and delivered self-defence, personal protection and travel safety courses for individuals, government and corporate sector and I continue to highly recommend this book to all and sundry. Being able to punch and kick is not the answer. These sort of skills might be useful if you practice regularly but the best option is not to be in that situation in the first place. If you do find yourself in trouble, it will more often than not be the mental aspects and preparation that will get you through.

Stong on Defense includes many of the areas that some so-called self defence books and courses gloss over - the psychological aspects of preparation and above all avoidance. His thinking on preparedness and developing plans BEFORE you get into trouble are spot on. Definitely one of the better books in this area and a must-read for everyone.

I bought this book a few years ago and was astounded by it's quality. Strong
analyzes assaults and murders pointing out mistakes and suggests tactics. Women especially should read this book. Fore thought will empower them if a crisis arises.
A take away message that I will always remember---never let him take you to crime scene #2(a place of his choosing)as it will only get worse.

This book is a must read and should be passed on to others. The slaughter at Virginia Tech was the reason I revisited Amazon and recommended this book.

It's a good book, but hold off on buying it for a few days. The sleazy sellers here on Amazon have jacked their prices all the way from $25 to $80 (and even $199!) in one day, based on a small uptick in interest from one website recommending the book.

Wait ONE WEEK, then check back, and buy the book for it's standard price of $25 or so. Don't let these sellers rob you.

This is absolutely one of the best books on self defense that I have ever read.

Sanford Strong has written an excellent primer on personal protection. As he says, this book is not about crime prevention; it is about crime survival.

Much of the book has to do with the right mindset which is a critical element in surviving. Many people are seriously hurt or killed because of lack of mental preparation.

The author uses numerous case studies to illustrate his points and has plenty of data to support them. His four rules of survival are key. One could follow these and be in a much better position to survive a violent encounter.

His commentary about mindset is essential. Here are some of his points: Expect to be injured. If the fear of injury is paramount, you will not have the will to escape. If violence strikes you, the police will not be there to protect you. Don't ever believe a criminal. If he is just planning to rob you, there is no need for him to move you to another location. Your best chance for escape/resistance is at the beginning.

In the action area, his focus is on escape. Too many self defense 'experts' advise you to use numerous techniques. I believe that these have their place, but the most important thing to do is get out of there. Remember that violent criminals don't follow Marquess of Queensbury rules.

I could go on about this book for a long time. The bottom line is that it is excellent and is a must read. Buy it; read it; absorb it.